Rowan of Sherwood
by tubeatoothpaste
Summary: One day when Will is on watch duty, two people wander into Sherwood forest. A young boy and his sister Rowan, a fiery girl with a past she won't reveal- even to Will. Set throughout the movie.
1. Chapter 1

"No, no, no," Bull said, "I'm telling you. It was the night before last was the last time anyone came through here."

"No, it weren't!" Hal replied, rolling his eyes, "'Cause we weren't on watch that night!"

"Well then what were we doing?"

"We were drinking!" Hal said simply.

"No we weren't!"

"Yes, we were."

"Guys, can we give it a rest?" Will Scarlet asked, lazily opening one eye. "Does it really matter when someone last came through Sherwood?" The three of them were on watch together, camouflaged in the bushes, waiting for some rich bishop or noble to come through the forest.

"Well, my point is," Bull argued, "No one come anymore and I'm getting right bored just sittin' around on me arse all day!"

Will chuckled at that. "Well, get used to it. Everyone is done coming through Sherwood."

"An' why's that?" Hal asked, leaning on his bow.

"Because," Will explained, "Everyone knows we are here. They won't risk going through the woods anymore. They would rather add the ten days onto the trip and make sure they keep all their gold."

Hall and Bull nodded, assessing this.

"He's probably right," Bull told Hal. Hal shrugged.

"Of course I am!" Will smiled.

"Well ain't you a cocky little shit-" Bull teased, punching Will in the arm. Will jumped up, tackling him in the stomach. The two of them rolled out of hiding onto the path, wrestling and yelling.

"Will you two knock it off?" Hal yelled, "Robin's gonna kill us!"

"Aw, lighten up-"Will stopped mid-word as he looked up. Standing on the path in front of him was a small boy, no more than 12. Will looked at his face, thin, covered in soot. He didn't look like one of the kids from the camp, but he couldn't be sure. They all tended to look alike anyway, especially when they were dirty. But this one had strange eyes, deep green. He thought we would have remembered those eyes.

"Who is this?" Bull muttered, standing up slowly, as if afraid he might scare the child as if it were a deer.

"I don't know," Will answered honestly.

"Well, say something to it."

"Don't you er- belong at the camp?" Will said hesitantly. He didn't like kids much. The only one he really even talked to was Wulf- and he hardly counted as a kid since he had been killing deer for months now.

The boy shook his head, slowly. Then looked over his shoulder. Will followed his gaze but saw nothing.

"Did you get lost?" Hal asked.

The boy hesitated for a minute, looking back over his left shoulder again, and then shook his head.

"Are you going somewhere?" Bull asked now, totally relaxing.

"Coming from somewhere?" Hal piped in. The two of them continued their guessing game, but the boy just keep looking over his shoulder. Will peered behind him, until he thought he saw- was that? Something in the bushes? Maybe another kid? He stepped forward, reached his hand out to part the leaves and

Wham! Something collided with his forehead and sent him reeling backwards.

"Run James, run!" He heard a female voice ring out and heard scuffling through the underbrush. He leapt to his feet, unsheathing his sword and taking off into the woods, following the voices.

"We got the boy over here!" Hal yelled from Will's right. "The girl went th' other way!"

Will sprang after some quivering bushes. He caught a glimpse of hair rounding a tree and sprinted after it. _Come on, come on_, he urged his feet. The last thing he needed was that hot shot Robin thinking he couldn't handle a stupid girl. She was fast though, and Will found himself sweating and panting as he followed her. He almost grabbed a hold of her as she scurried up some rocks, but she ducked under a fallen trunk he was too big to fit under and he lost her again. He paused for a moment and spotted her, scaling the rocks. _Stupid girl,_ he thought. _The only place she'll end up is in the river._ He lunged up the rocks behind her. When he came to the top, sure enough, there she was, stuck between him and the river.

She was a skinny girl. Young too. He hair was disgustingly knotted and hung in snake-like tendrils around her face. Her expression was fierce though, he would give her that. Her lips were so curled back, he almost expected her to start growling at him. But her clothes were of good quality and she wore many bracelets and gold jewelry. She held out a long broadsword in front of her, daring him to come closer.

"We got the boy!" Hal called again, and Will glanced down to see Hal and Bull and the boy staring up at them both from down the hill.

"We mean you no harm," Will said to the girl, "Just tell us who you are and why you are in our forest."

"I will not tell you who I am," the girl spat. "I have just as much a right to be here as you do."

Will sighed, a spunky one. "You're right. You can stay here. You just owe us a tax. Give us some of your jewelry."

The girl laughed. "Is that all?"

Will stopped, uncomfortable with her reaction. "What do you mean "is that all?""

The girl put down her sword and began taking off her accessories.

"Here," she said, peeling gold and silver bracelets off her wrists. She pulled gold earrings off her lobes and piled them all in one hand. When Will didn't react, she leaned forward and placed them in his hand. As she did, he caught sight of a gold chain around her neck.

He grabbed her upper arm tightly. The girl flinched, fighting to get away, but Will was much stronger. His hand fit around her entire upper arm.

"And the necklace."

The girl looked up at him, for he was more than a few inches taller than him. He was startled by two things. First, the deep green of her eyes, just like the boys. They must be related. Second, the pure hatred that shown within them.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Take anything from me but this necklace," she said. Will hated when people spoke like that without thinking. He would teach her a lesson.

"Anything?"

The girl nodded.

"Including your brother?" Will asked. He eyes flashed again with anger.

"No, not him."

"So give us the necklace."

She reached up, wrapped her fingers around it and yanked it off her neck, spitting in his face as she did so.

"You bitch!" Will yelled, reaching up to wipe his eye. As he did, he loosened his hold on her and she moved away, kneeing him in the groin as she did so.

"Spoiled brat!" She yelled, kicking his sword into the river and picking up her own. She jumped down the rocks and started towards where Hal and Bull held her brother.

"Get back here you little twit!" Will yelled, scrambling to his feet and starting after her. No girl was going to kick him in the nuts and get away with it.

"Let us go." She commanded Bull and Hal. "We have paid your tax. We would like to continue starving on our own, thanks." Hal and Bull stepped aside as she grabbed the boy's arm.

"Some lot you are. Come to Robin Hood and his men for help and all you do is take what little pride and money we got left. Robin Hood's a fraud." She yelled over her shoulder, the anger practically rising in visible waves out of her body, her back rigid.

"A fraud?" a voice asked. Will looked up to see Robin Hood dropping lightly from a nearby tree, landing neatly in front of the two children.

The girl gulped. Will smiled triumphantly. Something could intimidate her. She nodded, slowly.

"And why is that?" Robin asked.

"Because we have nothing," the girl said, "And you took what little we did have. I came to your men for help and they attacked us, separated us and took what was not theirs."

"Well," Robin said simply, "If it is our help you want, it is our help you shall get. Come to our camp, and tell me why you are here. Only, I must blindfold you so that you cannot show others the way."

The girl looked around suspiciously, her eyes narrowing on Will. Catching her look, Robin added,

"I give you my word nothing will happen to you or your brother."

"And you are, in fact, Robin of the Hood?" she asked.

Robin gave a little bow, "At your service, milady."

The girl looked around again and the nodded sullenly. "Fine. We will come."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, she certainly gave Will here a little bit of the knock around!" Hal said, draining his tankard of beer.

The men laughed and Will's face turned scarlet with anger- which had given him his surname."She did not. I had her under control."

Hall and Bull laughed, "Right, right."

"Well, at least she's a pretty one," Little John mused.

"What?" Will spat, "That brat is pretty?" He pictured her snarling lips, the look of hatred in her eyes. "I don't think so."

"You'll see," Fanny said with a smile, "With a bath and some meat on her bones, she'll be pretty all right."

"So, tell me your names my friends," Robin said, in just the way that it was friendly enough, but they knew it was non-negotiable.

"I'm James!" the boy piped up quickly. "and this is Rowan."

"Welcome to Sherwood, James and Rowan," Robin smiled. Then his face grew serious. "We have a few rules if you want to stay here with us."

"Who says we want to stay?" Rowan almost asked, but caught herself. She had heard of the deeds of Robin Hood. If the stories were true, he was a good man. And any man who stood up the Aherriff of Nattingham was one she wanted to align herself with.

"You don't have to stay," Robin said, as if he had read her mind. "When while you are here- you have to pull your own weight. No one can be idle in Sherwood. You can't leave and come back, we can't have you telling anyone where we are."

"We don't know," James said honestly, making both Robin and Rowan smile.

"All the better then," Robin said, then continued. "We will have to teach you how to use a bow and a staff and a sword. Although, from what I heard, you already do." His eyes twinkled as he looked at Rowan, who blushed. For the first time, she felt as if maybe she had overreacted. But she had been protecting her brother and herself. And if she had learned anything these past few months, it was not to trust anyone.

"Robin?" a sweet voice called. A moment later, a beautiful woman with soft brown curls poked her head in the door of Robin's hut. "Oh sorry! You're busy. I'll wait!"

"Nay, nay," robin said, his face lighting up almost instantly at the sight of her. "Marian, you know you are always welcome here."

Marian slipped in the door, coming to stand with Robin. He clasped her hand tightly and their eyes met. Rowan could practically feel the chemistry between them. Robin introduced Rowan and James. When Marian turned to smile at them, her eyes lingered on Rowan, her face scrunching in confusion.

"Have we met before?" Marian asked.

Rowan shook her head vigorously- too vigorously. _Calm down!_ She thought. _You'll blow it!_ The fact was that she had recognized Marian the second she walked in the door.

"I don't think so miss," Rowan said, trying to sound more coarse than normal.

Marian smiled blandly, "Oh, you must just resemble someone I know."

Rowan smiled to herself, thinking she was off the hook. But she didn't see Marian raise her eyebrows at Robin in what was clearly some kind of message. A bell clanged from the center of camp.

"Well, that will be supper. Do you have any questions?"

"Um, yes." Rowan ventured, "A necklace was taken from me. One that is very dear to me…" she trailed off.

"It shall be returned in the morning," Robin said simply. "Now you two run on ahead. The Lady Marian and I will join you shortly."

Rowan fought down a giggle as they raced out of the hut and followed the general crowd of people forming a line. As they walked, Rowan felt eyes on her, which she was used to, but she knew they looked at her now for different reasons. She was dirty, her hair was tangled, she smelled. She had caught her reflection in a pond that morning and had barely recognized the savageness in her face. She had changed. She tried to ignore the looks and took James' hand, which he promptly swatted away. She contented herself with gripping his shoulder as they joined in the line. Rowan's stomach rumbled at the sight of real, meaty stew and a hunk of bread. She was embarrassed about how loud it was, and looked around to see if anyone had heard.

"Now that's my kind of girl!" the man behind her observed. He wasn't much older than her. Tall and blonde and strong-looking. She blushed pink and he winked at her and continued on his way. Rowan followed James out of the line but they both stopped when they realized they weren't sure where to sit. The few tables were taken up and everyone else sat in small groups. She didn't feel comfortable approaching any groups. The only person she knew was Robin, and he and Marian were still in his hut. And she certainly couldn't sit with the men from this morning.

"Come here, loves," a rough voice called, "Come and sit with us!"

Rowan and James moved towards the kind-faced, hearty woman that had called out to them. Her orange hair was piled high on her head and she smiled as they approached. She was surrounded by a group of children of various ages. James brightened immediately as he sat by the eldest.

"I'm James."

"Wulf," The boy said without looking up, shoveling some stew into his mouth, but James didn't seem to mind. Rowan took a seat next to the woman.

"I'm Fanny Little," she said, "Not, obviously, Little Fanny."

Rowan laughed.

"You two just make yourselves right at home with us, now."

Rowan and James did just that, following the troop of Littles home after supper. All the kids, ten including James and Rowan collapsed beside each other on the floor. James was a asleep and snoring within minutes, but Rowan lay wide awake. She liked these people so far- that was true, but how did she know she could trust them?

What must have been a few hours later, Rowan jerked awake- when had she fallen asleep?- when something stirred behind her. She jumped to her knees, clutching her sword.

"It's all right love," Fanny said, "It's just me. You're safe here. Go on and sleep."

And sleep she did.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days had gone by and James and Rowan had more or less adjusted to life in Sherwood. That is, James had adjusted quickly, sticking by Wulf's side through everything. The two of them ran all kinds of errands for the camp: hunting, fishing, scouting. James loved his new life here. And while Rowan couldn't exactly complain, she finally had to face up to the fact that she was not happy. While James got to partake in active things, Rowan was relegated to "women's work": cleaning, cooking, mending and minding children. It was on one of these such days, when Fanny had left Roawn to look after six of her eight children that Rowan nearly lost it.

The twins, who were five, had fevers and had to be looked after, and the baby kept crying and she didn't know why. She had changed his diaper, held him, burped him- everything! But he just kept howling. To top it off, it was pouring, so all the kids were crammed into the hut and bored. She was trying to fix them some kind of supper- but they hadn't gotten any new bread or vegetables in a few days so there wasn't much to work with. And all the kids kept following her around. It wasn't that she didn't like them- she just couldn't stand them right now.

"Rowan, when will mommy be back?" one of the kids asked.

"I don't know, sweetie," she replied.

"I'm hungry."

"I know. Supper will be ready soon."

"I'm thirsty."

"My head hurts."

"I'm bored."

_God give me patience. _Rowan thought, tears springing to her eyes. She didn't come here for _this._ She was smart, she could fight, she was not a babysitter. When Fanny came in the door, soaked and clearly exhausted and just wanting to sit down, Rowan thrust the baby at her and took off. The rain poured down in sheets, soaking her almost instantly, but the feel of the water on her skin calmed her.

"I cannot do this anymore," she murmured. "Something has to change. I was meant for more than this."

"So tell Robin."

Rowan screamed when she heard the deep voice. She hadn't noticed anyone nearby. She realized it was the man who took her necklace that first day- who they told her was called Will Scarlet. Initially, her anger flared up and she wanted to tell him to bug off. But, she was so tired and worn out from the day inside with the children that she only sighed heavily.

"Would he listen?"

"Depends what it is you want to do," Will said. "If you want to sew tapestries- then I would say he probably won't let you. But if you want to fight and work- well then I think he would say yes."

Rowan felt the clenching in her heart lessen a little. "I want to fight."

"You're good at it," Will observed, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'll vouch for you."

She glanced at him to see if he was teasing or being serious.

"You know, you're getting soaked out there. You could come under this tree and dry off," Will observed nonchalantly.

It was tempting. Rowan thought she would like nothing more than to sit under that tree and watch the storm unfold. But then she thought of Fanny saying to her that first night, "We take care of each other here in Sherwood."

"No," she sighed, "I better not. Thanks for the offer though."

"Anytime," Will said, waving as she walked away. When Rowan glanced back over her shoulder, he was lost in thought, staring into the slowly darkening forest.

"And I also think that James and I should live somewhere else," Rowan said, linking her hands behind her back as she made her request. Robin had yet to respond to any of her desires, so she kept babbling.

"It's just that the Littles have so many to look after as is and we make them so much more crowded and-"

"Enough, Rowan," Robin said, smiling. "You have a very good point. As soon as a new hut is built, you and James can move your things there."

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't call me, sir."

"Sorry, thanks Robin." Rowan counted to ten, then twenty, then thirty before she spoke again. "And what about the fighting?"

Robin looked at her carefully, "You say you can fight, and Will Scarlet has told me so. But I would like to see you in action."

Rowan gulped, "Sir, who am I to fight?"

"I'm not sure yet. No one too difficult, don't worry. I wouldn't set you against Little John or myself or Azeem. Perhaps Much- he is an average fighter. A good man to have on your side, but not one that is irreplaceable."

"Irreplaceable?" Rowan stuttered, "Sir, am I t-to kill him?"

Robin laughed then, loud and heartily. "Oh no, Rowan! It's just, I was in a war you know and I just consider all men by how valuable they are in battle. You'll use wooden staffs or practice swords."

"And when shall this happen?"

Robin frowned, thinking. "Well, what about now, if Much isn't doing anything?"

Rowan nodded, "Sure," trying to smile calmly when really she was thinking about what was at stake here. She could not live in Sherwood if she had to keep to what she had been doing the past few weeks. It was, essentially, a fight to stay here.

"Rules," Robin started to explain. "Do not kill each other. This is just practice. If one says yield, the other must obey. The fight ends when one yields or is disarmed."

Rowan gulped. Much, it turns out, had not been busy. So here they stood, facing each other with broad wooden practice swords, Rowan's weapon of choice. A crowd had gathered to watch, and it kept growing as people realized that a girl was about to fight. Much was at least a head and shoulders taller than her, and much broader. He had removed his shirt and she could see that just about every inch of him was covered with muscles._ I can't go hilt to hilt,_ she made a mental note. _If it comes to brute strength, he will win._

"Ready?" Robin asked. Rowan nodded nervously. Much smiled easily.

"Ready if you are, sweetheart." He said.

Rowan narrowed her eyes at him, summoning the hate in her heart that she had reserved for one man. Much looked around uneasily- as if he was not expecting this.

_Let him come to you._

The instructions filled her brain as clearly and calmly as they had been given so many years ago. She side stepped around the clearing, keeping her eyes on Much's chest, knowing his muscles would betray his next move. Sure enough, he lunged forward in a few moments. Rowan brought up her sword to meet his, blocking his thrust. Then she stepped back, making him stumble forward. While he was off balance, she attacked. He blocked it, but barely. Much backed up, catching his breath.

"You're better than I thought you would be, honey."

Rowan launched at him again, but this time he was more prepared. He blocked quickly and struck out again. Rowan was forced to back up. Much stepped on the hem of her dress, completely unaware of what he was doing, and as Rowan tried to back up, she fell over backwards. The men in the circle roared with laughter.

"But not good enough. Go back to your kitchen, sweet pea." Much gloated, circling the perimeter of the clearing.

Shame burned in Rowan's face. She was better than this. What would the boy who trained her think of her if he saw this? She scrambled to her feet, and started after Much's retreating back.

"I could beat you if I was wearing breeches."

The laughter stopped. Much turned slowly on his heel.

"What?"

"You heard me. I lost because of my dress. I can fight in breeches."

"First of all, you can't beat me. Secondly, how would you know?"

"I trained in breeches," she said simply.

"You trained?" Much gaped, "With who?"

"With my brother," Rowan said, her heart swelling as she said it. She paused, fighting back that feeling that always arose in her when she spoke of them. "He was my twin. We learned together. In breeches. I'd like a rematch."

"Rematch?" some of the men yelled. Much scoffed at her, shaking his head.

"Don't be a sore loser, honey!" One of the men, perhaps Little John yelled.

Everyone looked to Robin, who thought carefully, then said. "It is up to you, Much."

Rowan glanced around the crowd who were all focused on her and Much.

"Unless," she said loudly, deliberately, "You are afraid."

Much's back clenched and he turned. "I'm not afraid. If you think pants will make you win- fine. But I don't know where you're going to get them."

_Shit!_ Rowan thought, she hadn't thought this far ahead. The only one who would give them to her would be James, and his would be much too small. Much must have guessed her train of thought for he started smiling.

"See, fellas, nothing to worry about."

"Come on."

Rowan flinched as a hand clenched around her elbow. Will Scarlet dragged her towards the side of the clearing.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"I'm getting you breeches, come on." Will said simply quickening his pace.

Rowan stopped walking in surprise. "What?" she asked, but he was already far ahead. She jogged to keep up with him.

"But, why? You don't even like me."

"Never said I didn't like you," Will said, giving her a little smile, "It's _you_ that don't like _me_. Besides, I want to see what you've really got."

By now they had reached a hut and Will stepped inside. He rifled through a small pile in the corner and threw three items at her.

"Here," he said brusquely, "They might be a little long but they should fit. And put that tunic on- it should be long enough so that you- you know, aren't showing anything-" Will's face reddened.

Rowan grinned in spite of herself. "Are you concerned about my modesty?'

Will stepped outside of the hut and she pulled the dress overhead. She pulled on the breeches, tucking in the shirt and then pulled the tunic on over, which Will was right, was long enough to cover her backside and legs to almost the knee so she wouldn't be too scandalous.

"Well, if you can only fight in breeches, you better start wearing 'em and you better wear a long tunic so you don't give the other women a heart attack."

She laughed and stepped out of the hut. "Well, I just might give them one anyway."

Will surveyed her outfit, and then he grinned too, "Yeah. You just might."

The two of them hastened back to the clearing where everyone was still gathered.

"What'd you give her them breeches for, Will?" Hal asked.

"Shut up," Will said quickly, his usually scowl returning, "I wanted to see Much get his ass beat."

"You think she'll do it?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot if she can," Will said. Hal chuckled.

"Are you ready now, Princess?" Much asked, mock bowing, his good nature fully restored.

"Yes," Rowan nodded, bouncing on her toes. The breeches felt great. They brought back the memories of her training with Ryder. She was calmer now. She had no disadvantages. Well, besides height and size. But those she had always overcome.

"You know, your clothes don't change how good a fighter you are," Much said as the crowd got quiet.

"Which is why you, Much the Miller's son, should be scared." She leapt forward at him, her blade flying straight to his chest. Much blocked, dropping back and circling. The instructions started again - Ryder's voice ringing clear in her head.

_Move your feet. Let him wear himself out._

Rowan danced around the clearing, so that Much had to spend half the time chasing her and half the time actually fighting her. He was good, Much. His blows were strong, some of them making her arm ache as their swords collided. But he was sweating, much more than she was. God, it was good to be fighting again. Just as her thoughts strayed, she nearly missed a block. In that instant, Much slid his sword down, bringing them hilt to hilt.

_Damn it!_ Rowan thought, gritting her teeth, but knowing it was hopeless. He was forcing her blade down easily. She spun, breaking away and putting a few feet in between them.

"Ha-ha!" Much called triumphantly, a fire in his eyes. "You're scared now."

_Let him think you are scared._

Rowan let Much attack for a while, blocking, but all the while giving him ground. She let herself near the middle of the clearing. Much's confidence was growing now, he was practically grinning- his blows were getting sloppy. Once her back was nearing the end of the clearing, she stopped blocking and ran, which Much took to be her fear. But she whirled around so that his back was now to the trees and started her assault. Much blocked each blow, but he was uneasy now. His chest was wet with sweat, his breathing labored. With each thrust, she gained a few inches. There, behind him, she spotted it. The tree root she needed him to trip over. She sped up her attacks, so that even if he wanted to, Much could not take the time to look behind him. Sure enough, as she delivered one last strong strike, he stumbled backwards over the tree root, dropping his sword in the process. Rowan stepped forward, one foot on his chest, and her sword pointed at his throat.

"Do you yield?" she asked.

Much laughed. "Good God, yes!"

Rowan was unsure what to make of his laughter. She reached down and pulled him to his feet.

"It seems I have underestimated you," Much said quietly, so only she could hear. "And you look pretty good in them breeches."

Despite herself, Rowan could feel herself blushing. It was then that she noticed the crowd cheering. As she walked toward Robin, she could see a mixture of surprise and respect in the eyes of the men she passed. Except for Will Scarlet. His face said something more like- I told you so.

"Well fought Rowan," Robin said loudly, then added more quietly, "It seems we may have all underestimated you." Rowan blushed again, realizing Robin must have heard what Much had said.

"You can start work as one of the men tomorrow. You have the dawn watch. Do not be late."

"All right, sir- er, Robin. Thank you," Rowan stuttered, her face alight with joy.

"Sleep by the window, I'll rap on the shade to wake you," Will Scarlet said as he sidled up beside her.

"What?" Rowan asked, still awed from the fact that she had won and that she was now free to do as she liked.

"For the mornin' watch," Will explained. "I'm on with ya. I'll knock on the door of the hut so you wake up in time- the first one is the hardest to get up for."

"Thank you," Rowan stuttered, "And, well, what about your clothes?"

Will looked at her blankly, then down at himself, as if to say, What about them?

"The ones I'm wearing," Rowan explained, blushing yet again.

Will chuckled, "Oh those, you keep them. I'll find others."

"I pity the next man that comes into Sherwood then," Rowan called after him as he walked away.

"Aye," Will said, laughing again, "He'll be leavin' naked, won't he?"

Rowan sighed, exhausted and took a step towards the Littles' hut.

"You got him to laugh."

She turned and saw Robin leaning against a tree.

"Beg pardon?"

"I have been here for months now and I have yet to see that boy doing anything but brood."

Rowan wasn't sure how to answer so she just looked at her hands, waiting for Robin to go on. Instead, he said simply:

"It's good to see him doing something else." And went on his way.


	4. Chapter 4

Rowan woke to a tapping on her window and rolled over, willing the bird to stop pecking. It kept going, so she shoved a pillow over her ears.

"Rowan!" a voice whispered.

Rowan sat straight up and grasped for her sword. There was a shadow in the window.

"It's me, Will! Morning watch? Come on!"

Rowan sighed as she remembered what was going on. She stood up, pulled her tunic on, and looked across the row of sleeping bodies before the door.

"Here," she said, handing Will her sword and her arrow and quiver she had received last night. He held them obediently and let her use his shoulder to help pull her through the window. Once her toes reached the ground, he started walking.

"Thanks for waking me!" She said.

Will grunted at her and handed her a small roll and a piece of cheese.

"Oh, and thanks for breakfast."

"Do you have to be so damn cheery? It ain't even light out yet," Will growled.

Rowan was taken aback and became sullen, hurt by his outburst. She vowed not to say anything to him until he said something to her. Which turned out to be two hours later. He had led her to a tree and pointed up. Rowan climbed it, with extreme difficulty. Then Will easily scaled the tree next to her. Then, they sat in silence for two hours. Rowan kept catching herself dozing, which was dangerous when she was so high off the ground. When Will finally did speak, he said,

"Two horsemen."

He stood up to fire the warning arrows into camp, but then relaxed and sat down.

"Just Marian and Sarah."

"Hello Will!" Marian waved.

"Marian," Will grunted, although it barely sounded like a word.

"Ah, so lovely in the morning, aren't you?"

Will grunted again, then added, "What in the hell are you doing here so early? Robin is probably still sleeping."

"Very well then, I will catch him in bed then." Marian colored as she said this. Will laughed. Marian's head jerked up.

"Did you just laugh, Will Scarlet?"

Will frowned again, "Yeah? So what?"

Marian smiled thoughtfully, "I just don't think I've ever heard you laugh before."

"What are you doing here so early?" Will asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I have just received word about a shipment of cloth coming in to the tailors this afternoon. He sent me word he wants to give it to you, but someone's got to go into town to pick it up."

Will nodded.

"Who is that up in the trees with you?" Marian called, as if she had just seen Rowan.

Will didn't answer, so Rowan chimed in, "Its Rowan, milady."

"Oh, you're on watch now?"

Rowan wasn't sure what to say and thankfully, Will finished for her. "She's just like one of the men now. Beat Much in a duel yesterday."

"Hm," Marian said, peering up at Rowan, "That will probably do him some good."

"Aye, that it will," Will said, reaching his arms above his head and stretching. His muscles swelled against the material of his shirt, Rowan couldn't help but notice.

Marian clicked to her horse and the two women set off into camp.

"She's something, that Marian, isn't she?" Will said, suddenly chatty.

"Yes," Rowan said carefully. She recognized Marian- and Marian had almost recognized her, so she had to be careful.

"You know," Will said, "I had my hopes set on her once."

When Rowan didn't say anything, he twisted around to see her, "I did. Asked her to dance even."

Rowan tried to remain silent but couldn't help but be intrigued, "What happened?"

"Robin came in and said she was "spoken for" and that was the end of that." Will ran a hand through his hair and chuckled.

"What?" Rowan asked.

"Nothing," Will said, still grinning, "Just funny how things work out is all."

Rowan looked around her, sitting a hundred feet off the ground in a tree with this man- Will Scarlett, who everyone said never smiled but he seemed to smile all the time, in the middle of Sherwood- with Welloch Manor almost nothing but a memory in her head.

"Yes," she agreed, "It is funny."

Robin approached Rowan while she was eating lunch with a group of the men.

"Rowan, how well known are you in Nottingham?"

Rowan gulped, nearly choking on her drink, "Sir?"

"I need two men to go into town and pick up some cloth. I thought I would send a woman so it's not as suspicious. You are the least suspicious woman because you can fight for yourself and you only need one man, not two to accompany you. Now, if you go into Nottingham, will you be recognized?"

Rowan considered the question for a minute. Would anyone in that town know her? Had anyone in that town ever known her? Even if they had, would they be able to see the girl she was in the face she had now?

"No," she told Robin easily, "No one will know me."

"Good," Robin said, "You and Will will go to town at once."

Will spit out his ale, "Me? We've just got done watch! Don't we get some sleep around here?"

Robin stared him down, "You will go Will because everyone else has things they must do and not be spared."

Even Rowan couldn't ignore the tone of aggravation in Robin's voice, like he was explaining things to a very small child.

Will glared at Robin, and Rowan was surprised at just how much hate was in his eyes. He slammed his plate down and stalked off. Rowan looked around uncertainly.

"Well, better go catch him, I guess," Robin said easily, turning back to where Marian waited for him. The men laughed. Rowan stood up and raced across the camp to where Will had disappeared into the trees.

"Will!" she yelled, seeing his figure ahead of her on the path, "Will, slow down! Come on! Wait for me!"

Will kept going, seething. "Who the hell does he think he is? Treating me like a god damned _child._ I'd like to ring his-" he glanced over and saw her.

"Did you know that he wasn't even one of us to begin with?"

Rowan shook her head, surprised, "Really?"

"No! He was just some hot shot rich boy that came in all "I'm going to lead you!" Will groaned, jerking his hands through his hair. He looked at her, "Damn it!"

"What?" Rowan asked, "What did I do?"

Will sighed, "You can't wear that into town. You gotta go get a dress."

Rowan looked down at her breeches and tunic. She giggled, "I guess not."

Will sighed, a weary smile surfacing briefly on his face, "Go get changed. I'll wait here."

"I'll be fast," Rowan promised, jogging back toward camp.

"And do something with your hair!" Will called.

"Yes, mother!"

As quickly as possible, Rowan was back, changed into a light blue dress that Fanny had given her from the camp chest. She had pulled some of her hair back in a braid and let the rest fall around her shoulders.

"Am I all right?"she asked Will.

"Yeah, you'll do. You look too good to be a townsperson though. Try to act stupid."

Rowan nodded, unsure what to make of his comment. What did he mean by "look too good?"

"Now, we got to get our stories straight," Will said as he walked. He took long strides. So long that Rowan was practically jogging to keep up with him. "So what are we? Siblings? Cousins? Spouses?"

"Cousins!" Rowan decided.

"All right, then. Cousins. And where are we from?"

"Hillsdale."

"Okay. Cousins from Hillsdale. Why are we in town?"

"To buy me a new dress for our other cousin's wedding! Oh, this is a fun!" Rowan laughed.

"Fun now," Will agreed, "But not so fun when you are being interrogated by the Sherriff's dogs."

The rest of the walk they made up details- usually with Rowan supplying them and Will shooting them down, second guessing them or fixing them. They had walked the miles to town faster than Rowan thought they would.

"All right, let's go," Will said, pulling up his hood as they approached the town wall.

"Stop. Why are you coming to Nottingham?" A guard asked robotically.

"To buy a dress," Rowan said brightly. Too brightly, both the guard and Will gave her a look.

"And you're from…?"

"Hillsdale," Will added. "We're farmers."

The guard studied them for a minute. Rowan smiled, hoping she looked totally at ease as her heart beat in her chest. Maybe he had heard about her and knew who she was?

"You may enter," The guard said. "Next."

Rowan and Will stepped through the gate and into the town. Rowan was taken aback by all the movement. After the quiet stillness of the forest, she wasn't ready for the hustle and bustle of the town. She froze. Then she felt a hand on her back and Will whispered near her ear,

"Come on. Don't be scared."

They crossed the square, avoiding vendors and women with vegetables and a lot of soldier's men- some of whom whistled at Rowan as she passed, only to cut them short when they caught Will's glare.

When they got to the tailor's shop, denoted by a sign above with a simple needle on it, they looked at each other, took a deep breath and Will led the way inside.

"Hello," called a small man on a stool, without looking up, a pin balancing from his lip. "What can I do you for?"

"Um," Rowan said quietly, then cleared her throat more loudly. "I would like to have some cloth to make a dress."

"All right. What kind of cloth and what color?"

"Something, durable and I would like it to be in forest green," Rowan said, slowly and clearly.

The tailor looked up briefly, then at the other customers in the store.

"Well, I will have to check in the back. Would you mind if I help everyone else out first? You could come back, say, in a quarter of an hour?"

Rowan looked at Will. He nodded shortly.

"That would be great. Thank you." They stepped out into the street.

"That was great!" Rowan whispered, "It felt so official!"

"Don't start celebrating yet," Will said, although he did smile. "Come on, let's check out the vendors. Maybe they'll give us free food."

Rowan followed Will as he wound his way through the crowd. It was strange to be here. To remember that outside of Sherwood and what had happened even before Sherwood, life went on. As the passed through a particularly narrow opening between two carts, three men brushed against Rowan as they passed.

"Forgive me," the last one said, turning to look at her. For one second, Rowan was confused about who she was looking at. Then, she saw the scar along his jaw line. Anger rippled through her veins and she lunged forward, clawing at his face, a hoarse yell erupting from her body. She didn't see anything except for his face. She grabbed for his hair. He stumbled down to the ground, and the men with him turned back, trying to shield him from her. Then, she felt arms around her waist, wrenching her away. She clung on, scratching, doing anything to impart half the damage he had done to her. But alas, whoever was holding her was stronger than she was and finally yanked her away.

"Forgive my cousin," Will was saying, as he dragged Rowan away from the men as quickly as possible, trying to shield his face. "She is not well."

"I'll say she's not! She ought to be in a loony bin! That one!" The man on the ground yelled.

"You're lucky she did no damage to my man!" called another, higher voice which Rowan recognized. She tried to move away from Will, but he was too strong. He half-drug, half-carried her through the crowd, which parted for them in fear. "Let go of me, I'm fine!"

"Fine?" Will blanched, his voice rising in anger. "Fine?"

"Yes! Let me go!" Rowan spat, thinking how similar this was to their first meeting.

"Will you behave?"

"Yes."

Will released her Rowan immediately started back towards the square. Will swung her back towards the wall and used his body to pin her against the wall, his hands locked around her wrists. He could feel her whole body heaving in anger as she breathed. Slowly, her breathing slowed. When he thought she was calm, he let go of her wrists and eased away from her. Rowan was so surprised and weakened that her knees almost gave way. Instead, she pressed herself against the wall, letting the cool brick touch her flaming forehead.

"Rowan," Will yelled, "Do you have any idea what you just did? What if the soldier's came over? I have a price on my head you know! You could have gotten us killed!" He was panting from anger and the effort of fighting with her. His voice lost its steam and softened "Lord almighty Rowan…what the hell happened back there?"

Rowan took a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it."

Will considered this for a moment, then began another angry outburst, "Don't want to talk about it? Rowan, you just endangered my life. Don't you think I deserve an explanation?"

Rowan sighed. He was right.

"That man…was a man from my past. And we have…unfinished business."

"That's it?" Will asked.

Rowan looked up at him, somewhat apologetically. Will realized just how drained she looked, like all of the energy and life from that morning had been sucked out of her. She could barely stand for God's sake.

"All right," he answered himself aloud, "That's it then."

Will retrieved the cloth from the tailor with no problems and the two of them left town as quickly as possible. Neither spoke almost the entire way to camp. Rowan was lost in a world of memories- of that face. And Will was caught worrying about her. When she launched herself on that man, she had been almost in-human. Just pure hatred and anger and violence. He looked back at her trudging down the path behind him, her head down, her eyes sad, her long hair reflecting the sunlight. How could they be the same girl?

Just then she looked up and caught him watching her. She stopped walking.

"Will?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do me a favor? Can you not mention what happened to anyone?"

Will thought for a moment. He figured he probably should tell someone. What if she was going to attack someone in camp? But then he met her eyes, and thought for a minute that he had never seen eyes that held such sadness. How did she mask it most of the time?

"Sure," he said, attempting a smile, "I won't tell."

She just nodded, once, and started on again.


End file.
